Exercise Guidelines and Recommendations

So ‘How often Should You Exercise?’. Whilst it does largely depends on what your goals are – there are some guidelines that are recommended to maintain your health well into your later years. The most important recommendation is that both resistance and cardio training are to be included in our weekly activities. 

In the Physical activity and exercise guidelines for all Australians the following recommendations are given:

Adults 50-64-years old should be active most days of the week, if not all days. Each week, aim for:

  1. 2.5–5hr moderate intensity physical activity eg brisk walking, golf, swimming etc
  2. 1.25–2.5hr vigorous intensity physical activity eg running, aerobics, cycling, sports such as netball or soccer etc
  3. Resistance or weight training should be completed on at least 2-days of the week. This may look something like 2 strength based weight circuits per week. People with physically demanding jobs requiring lifting heavy loads frequently may already meet this requirement through their work.
  4. Most importantly – sitting for prolonged periods can offset the benefits of physical activity, therefore you should reduce the total time you sit for each day by breaking up these periods with movement such as squats, lunges, or walks. 

For adults 65-years and over, there are slightly different recommendations. These include:
  1. At least 30mins moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days (this can be split up however you like eg 10mins, 3 times a day)
  2. Resistance training should also be completed on a minimum 2-days/week. Note that if you do resistance training on one day, you can still also go for a walk on that same day to add to your moderate intensity minutes per week. Resistance training may include strength based weight circuits, lifting, carrying groceries from shops to home, climbing stairs, and moderate yard work such as digging and shifting soil. 

Some tips to build activity into your day:

When considering the question in topic of “how often should you exercise?”, this should not be limited to structured exercise classes. Whilst class based programs are generally the best way to conduct a variety of exercises, they are not the only way that we can move our body. Other ways you can get our body moving every day is through incidental exercise. Build these following activities in to your daily routine. If you want to be better than the average person your age, do these activities as supplementary to the Australian Exercise Guidelines:

  • Walk or ride your bike for short trips to the shops/café etc instead of driving
  • Use the stairs instead of the lift (and walk up/down the escalators)
  • Go for a walk with a friend instead of sitting down at a café
  • Get off the bus one stop earlier and walk the remaining distance 

Find the activities you enjoy, and do them as frequently as you can. Movement is medicine, and the more we move the better our health and fitness will be long-term.

Exercise guidelines are 2 strength training sessions per week

Over 50s Strength Training

Heath Jones Founder of Active & Ageless - Over 50s health club in Hurstville & Canterbury

Heath Jones is the founder of Active & Ageless and has over 20 years’ experience in the Health & Wellness space.

He holds the following qualifications:

Bachelor of Nursing

Postgraduate in Exercise Science

Diploma of OHS

Cert 3 & 4 Fitness

Cert 4 Training & Assessment

Older Adults trainer